Beware owners of dogs that foul - you are being watched

Cllr. Siobhán Ambrose has welcomed Clonmel Borough Council’s latest policy which was approved at last Tuesday night’s meeting of the council.

Cllr. Siobhán Ambrose has welcomed Clonmel Borough Council’s latest policy which was approved at last Tuesday night’s meeting of the council.

The policy specifically entails undercover surveillance of particular areas where dog fouling, littering and illegal dumping amongst other offences under the litter act are taking place.

The cameras are in infra-red light in order to allow for video footage and images to be taken at night. Once identified by camera, offenders can either be fined by Clonmel Borough Council’s litter wardens or prosecuted in a District Court.

Says Cllr. Ambrose - “I have been inundated with people complaining in particular about the large volume of dog fouling on the footpaths in and around the town centre. The Council’s problem to date has been that the majority of dog fouling on the streets of Clonmel has occurred in the evening when the litter wardens are off duty”.

Cllr. Ambrose has pointed out that nobody minds anyone walking their dog in a public area but owners have to remember that dog fouling in a public area carries a fine and that all dog owners have a responsibility to carry either a pooper scooper or a plastic bag with them when walking their dog.

Similarly, in the case of littering and illegal dumping, Cllr. Ambrose has said that the message has to go out loud and clear that it is not okay to throw your litter or dump your refuse and expect someone else to pick it up after you.

Groups like Clonmel Tidy Towns and the outdoor section of Clonmel Borough Council are doing a tremendous job in keeping Clonmel’s litter under control but of course there are black spots and these specific areas can now be monitored by the Council’s surveillance cameras.

Cllr. Ambrose said that she hoped that the fact that people have now been made aware that this policy has been enacted by Clonmel Borough Council that they will refrain from putting themselves in a position whereby they could end up being either fined or brought to court.

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